Jean Sheppard (K2ORS)

I'll always remember Jean Sheppard as being that great narrator on "A Christmas Story." His voice and style of narrating just captivated all who listened. He just had a way of conveying a message.
I wish I could have QSO'ed with this fine man but never had the honor.
Somewhere up in the heavens Jean is still telling stories and operating the greatest ham shack we could only dream of.
73, Jean! The airwaves lost a little bit of magic to them after your departure.

Shep was one of my heros, from my teen years secretly listening to him late at night on WOR City through my adult years as Jean transitioned to video story telling, which in my opinion, greatly enhanced his art. When he was producing Shepherd's Pie on WNET, Channel 13 in NY, I wrote taking issue with some comment he had made. He responded with a certificate awarding me the title of Official TV CooCoo. Needless to say this is one of my treasured possessions! I am attaching a picture of Shep for Larry Morgan to add to the Friend's Remembered section. 73 and Excelsior!
Dick K2UFT

Make sure you read "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash" by Jean Shepard. How many of us sent in that Ovaltine label and waited for the secret message of the day? He knew how to express our lives as kids. " Betcha shoot your eye out kid" - my first Daisy Air Rifle shot went clean through a window in a third floor apartment. I treasured all of his articles and his programs as well as his "Christmas Story".

Shep used to hold forth on WOR for 3+ hours on Sunday nights. I used to get into my car and drive around while listening. There would be a 30 minute break during the program, and I would stop at a diner for coffee. Soon I discovered that the same people were coming to thaqt diner every Sunday. It turned out they were in their cars listeniing to Shep too!.
He was an incomparable storyteller who once got thrown off the air for doing a General Tire commercial where he broke into a riff about getting runs in your nylon tire; caused a minor riot in Central Park.
I never met the man, but he was a lifelong friend. He will be missed

The XYL and I have laughed many times over the years because of Jean's humor. "A Christmas Story" is the Isgro household's annual Christmas rite. He will be missed. I regret never having the pleasure of a QSO from K2ORS

I used to listen to Jean as a kid growing up in south florida when WOR would pound in during the winter nites.. I had the pleasure to have a couple of qso's with him on 2m in the early 70's while he was in so. florida vacationing...He was sure a captivating story teller...what a loss...

I especially remember a program during which he described a trip to "Radio Row" where he bought a large barrel of assorted radio parts at a surplus store. When he and his friends got it home they found the bottom half was filled with concrete. He was a great reconture and will be missed. There is no one currently who can fill his shoes.

I remember the first time I heard Gene Shepards voice, it was on the intro of a ARRL CW teaching tape. I can honestly say. I think he was a driving force for me to obtain my Ham Ticket.
73's de K8CPA
-Chuck

I really miss Jean and have missed him for twenty or so years (but for the "Christmass Story" film, I wouldn't have known anything about his life after radio!). I saw him once, at the 1966 Hudson Division Convention, I believe, where he gave the talk after dinner. As usual, it was hilarious, but this time it was all about hamming. He was mobbed afterwards, so I didn't get a chance to meet him (besides, I was a shy and retiring kid of 16 at the time). But I will remember his story-telling on WOR for the rest of my life (evening at 10 PM, no?) for years to come. That's the mark of a great story-teller. dow-dow-di-di-dit/di-di-di-dow-dow, Jean...

Ole Shep was one of a kind! His radio program on WOR in N.Y.C. was certainly cutting edge for his time, and he included many stories about his ham radio hobby as well as his signal corps days in the military. He told one story of searching for a Ameco "Mastering The Morse Code LP" that was a classic. How many of us used that same record? I know I did. K2ORS was a great inspiration to myself and one of the great radiomen of our times. To Flick, Brunner, SGT. Kowalsky, Grover Dill, The Bumpus Family and all of us it is a great loss. SK K20RS AND 73.

I can remember nights when Jean was on the 10:05 to 11:00 PM time slot on WOR-AM 710 Kc/s. There were times during his show that he made WOR-AM the worlds most powerful MCW station! 50,000 watts! Oh Wowie! Yes, every evening M-F, at 10:05 PM, you can hear the intro music, and the stories! I will never forget them... the story of the $1.98 used car sale.. the story of the AM station in the midwest where he worked that had a coverage area of 2 miles in one dimension and 500 miles in the other! I will never forget... 73 Jean...

FLICK LIVES !!
I discovered Jean Shepherd just a few years ago when I heard on NPR that he had passed.
I listen to his work every night on the radio as I broadcast it over a micro power FM station from my basement computer. I have a collection over 170 of his hour long programs that I have downloaded from web site ...
http://www.flicklives.com/Mass_Back/mass_back.htm
Please support the station with your donation so we can keep Jean's work alive !

You know, I know absolutely nothing about the ham radios. I just wanted to read up on Jean Sheppard! This is the site I chose. I have read the tributes to Mr Sheppard you all have posted and I have to admit, I never knew he did radio shows. I, like so many others, never knew who he was until "A Christmas Story". And I didn't see the movie until 1997. I remember the very first time i saw it..hahaha! There was something about his voice...soothing...calming. I could feel myself sitting at Ralphie's kitchen table having breakfast with the family listening to them talk about Christmas and what they wanted !! I will be learning more about this great man, you can believe that! I didn't know he had passed. I am sure he will be missed by all that have had the pleasure of listening to him, myself included. Have a nice day!!!!!!

i guess i was more lucky than most. i saw shep many times. he was at princeton university many times doing a standup routine and he appeared many times at 'the u store' (the university book store) for his book signings.
a few years later he flew out of the princeton airport. that was when webster todd owned it and before his sister became the governor. i was part of the line crew then.
he had a son that went to princeton high school with me but i never knew what happened to him. from what i remember, he never played the part of, oh, i'm the son of someone famous.
while listening to him on WOR out of new york, i think at first from 11 to 12 and then later from 10 to 11 how many times my parents would come into my room wondering what all of the laughter was about when i should have been sleeping. what a great story teller.

I too remembered shep...my older brother took me to greenwich village to see him do his live saturday nite show when I was 16 or 17 (about 40 years ago). Just reading the tributes to him got me remembering and smiling...size 12 bunny slippers given to him by aunt clara(where did she find them in that size?) his army buddy, rozwell t. edwards. And his humor will live forever in his books...and when his show was ending for the nite, the music in the background got louder and louder, and he spoke louder and faster until all you heard was the theme song ........ goodnite jean.....

While on my 2nd novice license, WN9TCO, in 1975, one of my CQs was answered on 40M by a guy named Parker. He had a perfect fist. Unfortunately for me, every time it was his turn to transmit, he came back a little faster. He goaded me like this for about 40 minutes. When our QSO was over, I was exhausted. Later, I received a humorous, custom-made QSL card from this guy now named Jean in New Jersey. I had no idea who he was. Years later, I found out by watching a PBS episode of Jean Shepherd’s America. His call was on his license plate.
Thanks, Jean, for the CW lesson.
Jim/N9ESH

As a very young man I lisened to Jean Sheppard through the long midnight shifts. Dozens of Deputy Sheriffs listened to the Dade Co.Fla. Dispatcher and to Jean. For many years Jean was on our police vehicles AM radios. Whenever a Police Officer was wounded or killed Jean paid respects reading, "A Part of America Died". I lost seven friends in uniform in the first few years. Now, 38 years later, I can say every man or woman wearing a badge lost another good friend when Jean died. A good and decent man and a good American... No other "radio personality" has ever shown love or apperciation to all who quietly serve like Jean did for all of us.

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